Empathy is not an emotion, it's a skill 🍳 #94

Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place - Daniel H. Pink

The subject of this issue was inspired by Chloe Condon’s post on empathy. She goes on to say “empathy can make the difference between a motivated and an unmotivated team.” When you understand what someone else’s perspective is, you can have a conversation with them — not talk at them. “Great team members are great communicators, and the best communicators are empathetic — tailoring the conversation in a way that is understandable to the listener.”

Cameron Moll shares what he wish every design student knew. Our new designer Edoardo is doing progressing pretty well along this criteria, specifically on “have strong opinions, but hold on them loosely.”

Guthmiller has retained a kind of blue collar scrappiness as an entrepreneur, true to her roots. It’s a challenge to grow because so many Silicon Valley firms build their own design/branding teams in-house or buy up design firms—talent is hard to come by and it’s challenging to find those who are happy to come to a small, boutique firm. Recruiting and hiring are a challenge, as is losing employees to competitors—but it’s gratifying as well.

I want to get past “we’re waiting for content” and empower designers to start crafting content - because they’re well placed to do so. Our MD Tom agrees by saying that if you can’t do content, you’re not a UX designer - too true!

Lean Startup guru Eric Ries’s new book explains why companies should focus on the rule-breakers. Questioning everything is more important than ever, when we lose life-long employees and new employees need to pick up what has been done before, without context.

The execution of this is so good! Rapha have refreshed their luggage offering and have a beautiful product page to demonstrate why riders should pick these over any other bag. The reflective backpack piques my interest! But why leather Rapha? Ask Stella McCartney…

This past week, I’ve been investigating more of the science behind fitness and weight. Understanding that tone comes from food rather than exercise, I’ve started looking at my food intake more carefully. No need for the gym though apparently!

Every emotion has a purpose—an evolutionary benefit,” says Sandi Mann, a psychologist and the author of The Upside of Downtime. Jobs agreed in his quote “having nothing to do can be wonderful.” Can you benefit from the side-effects of boredom?

Including on the title alone! Virgin and going into 18+ cruise liners. I’m not sure about the industry needing disruption, but if Richard Branson could help get greener technologies involved, that would be a giant leap forward.